Fears for up to 3,200 County Council jobs

The potential cuts, which have been flagged up by the council's Labour group leader Grant Davey relate to a so-called "minimal model" for the council.

Coun Davey says they include:

• Reducing the workforce by up to 3,500 posts and cutting spending in all non-statutory areas to a minimum, for example by closing libraries;
• Maximising charges, disposing of as many assets as possible and beginning the immediate "migration" of council-run services to the private and voluntary sector;
• Ceasing or reducing to an absolute minimum all non-statutory functions, axing all traditional support for the voluntary sector and minimising all liability for the arts and leisure;
• Ending tourism funding, providing no matched funding for Government or European grants and quitting all back office functions, leaving front office staff to deal with income, accounts, invoices and billing.

Last night Mark Wilson, the GMB union's organiser at the county council, said: "Obviously, if any of this comes to fruition we would be extremely concerned as trade unions, and the public in Northumberland should be as well. I believe this scenario would bring about industrial Armageddon at the council.

"Some of these proposals would mean the council becoming simply a commissioning authority and it could be held to ransom by the private sector."

Blyth Valley MP Ronnie Campbell said the warning made a mockery of the "gold plated" services promised to people in Northumberland by the council's previous Labour administration's successful bid to the Government to create the unitary authority.

He said: "It is horrendous if this sort of scenario is going to unfold by 2013. Even half of what is being said here will mean massive cuts.

"It is extremely worrying and the mind boggles about what they could get rid of."

Coun Davey admitted that his claim of up to 3,500 full-time equivalent job losses was a calculation based on the likelihood of £80m budget cuts by 2013.

But he said: "I am very concerned because the delivery of things that were promised to people are just not happening. The picture that was painted by the Director of Performance at this briefing was one of doom and gloom."

The council's Liberal Democrat leader Jeff Reid said he was disappointed that the details of the confidential briefing had leaked out.

He said: "This is not council policy and these are not even proposals, we are simply looking at a worst case scenario. We have a general election coming up next year and no-one knows what is going to happen.

"It would be a mistake to start looking at all this in 2012. Things won't be as bad as is being made out, but we would be derelict in our duty if we were not talking about these issues."

Tory group leader Peter Jackson said it had been a verbal briefing about what the council is legally obliged to do.

He said: "I don't believe for a minute there will be 3,500 job losses, but I do think we need an exercise to find out what residents across Northumberland want and need from the unitary council, and what the priorities should be."

BUDGET SAVINGS

A county council spokesman said the claim that up to 3,500 jobs could go by 2013 was simply Coun Davey's opinion, as no figures for redundancies had been mentioned at the briefing.

"The country is in the middle of the biggest recession most of us have ever experienced," the spokesman said.

"Northumberland County Council will have to make substantial budget savings over the coming years, as will all councils, and it may not be possible to achieve these through efficiency savings alone.

"We have to start planning now, and part of this planning process is to consider all possible cost saving options open to us - no matter how radical they may appear.

"Discussions are being held between senior councillors from all parties about possible scenarios. At this stage councillors are reviewing a wide range of potential options. Once proposals are developed we will consult widely."